The Cure to Everything
by RileyTheWriteyDude
Summary: Sequel to "You're My Treasure" He is out there, somewhere, watching his son growing. His son is not the only one who's being watched. Many people are under his supervision. But what purpose does he serve? Join Jim and Ariel on their quest to find it out!
1. Chapter 1

**Back with a new book! I'm kicking off the book with a… song. Something that I've actually never done. It's "Part of Your World" (I still think it should be 'that' instead of your', but whatever), but modified by me to suit the story. Please bear with me, I've forced some words into it, and not all lines may rhyme like they would in the original song. To say the least, I'm pretty proud of my 'version'. The original song belongs to its rightful owners, Disney and I believe, Jodie Benson. My target is to finish this book before the end of the year. So, let's do this!**

In silence, she stepped into her favorite room of the inn. The mini library. There was a carpet made out of, quite possibly, the softest and finest material in the planet laid in the middle of the room, and Ariel didn't hesitate to remove her shoes before landing her feet onto the carpet to really feel the carpet. The feeling on her bare feet was her favorite sensation, and around her, was her favorite sight. Books, books, and some objects that Jim hadn't finished mentioning what they were all.

It's her shift to clean the room, and she'd use every second she spent in the room as 'efficient' as possible. Ariel had only spent a week and a half in the Benbow Inn, however, she had finished reading thirteen books in the library. And now, in her right hand's grasp, was the fourteenth, and in her left hand's grasp, a broom.

Both of her eyes were focused on the page where she last left off, but she cleaned the floor seamlessly as if she had an extra eye watching where the broom would swipe. In the process, changes of expression were seen on her face. Gasping, smiling, pouting, raised brow, you name it. Out of nowhere, she put away the book where to it was fifteen minutes later, and reached for the book next to it. She had already finished the book! However, she stopped.

"Hm… I probably should just focus on cleaning the room. Spare it for next time," Ariel smiled at the book she was about to reach. She straightened her back and resumed her work.

Done cleaning the floor, Ariel grabbed a nearby cloth and used it to clean three transparent boxes placed in the room that 'exhibited' the objects in them. There were a binocular, a small globe, solar surfer figures, and more. However, her brain couldn't tell what they were, and what functions they served. Still, the curiosity grew a smile on her lips.

"I can't believe this is my life now… I'm learning, and learning, and learning every day!" Ariel said, as she cleaned off the dust on a box with a single wipe. The moment could only be expressed in one way, a song.

 _"_ _Look at this room_

 _Isn't it neat?"_ (turns around, facing the bookshelf and approaching it)

 _"_ _Wouldn't you think that my life's complete?_

 _Wouldn't you think I'm the girl,_

 _The girl who's learnt everything?"_ (pulls a book, and pushes it back in)

 _"_ _Look at this trove_

 _Treasures untold_

 _How many knowledge can one room possess?_ (runs a finger through a row of books)

 _Lookin' around here you'd think_

 _(Sure) she knows everything"_ (shrugs while smiling)

 _"_ _I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty_ (wipes the boxes with care)

 _I've got whotzits and whatzits galore_

 _(You want to know about the stars?_ (grabs a book with a star logo on it)

 _I can tell ya)_

 _But yet still,_ (pushes the book back in)

 _Deep Inside_

 _I want more…"_ (looks up to the ceiling, where stars-like decoration was hung)

 _"_ _I want to be where the stars are,_

 _I want to see_ (looks out at the window)

 _Want to see 'em shining_

 _Walkin' around on that_ (watches her feet step on the wooden floor)

 _(whad'ya call 'em) oh – deck_

 _Venturing 'round on the open space_ (climbs a ladder laid next to the bookshelf)

 _Endless sightseeing on the endless wonders_

 _Sailin' along down the…_ (stops)

 _(What's that word? Oh – zone!)_ **(as in ozone layer)**

 _Up where they go_

 _Up where they fly_ (mimics a ship flying with her hand)

 _Up where they stay all day on the space_

 _Venturin' free_

 _Wish I could see_

 _See all of them"_

 _"_ _What would I give_ (climbs down the ladder)

 _If I could see_

 _The wonders up there?_

 _What would I pay_ (lifts one of the boxes)

 _To spend on a day_

 _Feasting these eyes?_ (spins the small globe, and puts the glass box back)

 _Although I hope_

 _He'll understand_ (grabs the pendant around her neck, staring it)

 _Understand that this heart desires for more_

 _Bright young women_ (releases the pendant from her grasp, looks up)

 _Ready than ever_

 _To fulfill this life"_

 _"_ _And ready to know what they all have seen_ (grabs a random book and skims through the pages)

 _Ask myself questions_ (holds the book near her chest)

 _And witness the answers_ (looks up)

 _Why are the stars up there_ (places the book down)

 _Shining ever so… bright?"_

 _"_ _When's it my turn?_

 _Wouldn't I love_

 _Love to explore that space up above?_ (lands herself on the chair abruptly, hand reaching for the ceiling)

 _Out of this world_

 _Yet still, I hope_ (rolls over, lowering her volume)

 _To see all of them"_

Indeed, the ex-mermaid was enjoying life. But she was the type of person who couldn't be satisfied quickly. Ariel's always on the search for something more, and not many had been able to stop her. One way or another, Ariel would get herself what she wanted.

Lazily, she laid her chin on the armrest of the chair. There, at the corner of her eyes, she spotted a particular figure standing near the entrance of the library.

"JIM!"

"Haha, hey."

In a rush, Ariel stood back on her feet and continued her postponed work. Slowly, Jim entered the room and approached his lover. "It's okay, Ari. No need to sweat yourself. That was quite the performance!"

"N-No… My job is to clean this room—"

"Oh, come on, Ari. I've never heard you sing, and your singing was wonderful!" Jim shrugged, laying his hands on the chair where Ariel was sat.

A red tint appeared in her cheeks, which were hidden away from the male. "Thank you, but this is not how I pictured it, I thought you'd ask me to sing or something at first. Not catching me while I'm unaware."

"Weird," Jim said, "it's very much how I pictured it."

"Oh please, Hawkins," she giggled.

Afterwards, the male proceeded to help the female by doing the paintings in the room. The 'paintings' were actually a super thin monitor, projecting a picture in a high resolution. As Hawkins traced around the picture with a cloth, the projection stuttered, but the pixels were cleaner than ever.

One feature that the pixel had was its mirror feature. The pixels mimicked a glass so well, that Jim saw a reflection of Ariel who's lost in her own world while gazing onto the ceiling of the room.

He turned around. "Ari?"

The red head jumped on her spot. "Y-YES! Yes?"

"You were lost there, you okay?" He approached her.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I was merely…"

"Stargazing? Heh," he chuckled, crossing his arms.

"Yeah. I just love this room."

Jim approached the female. "Did you know that these stars weren't just hung randomly? They actually follow the real map, if you compare it."

Ariel's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah, I can name the name of the stars, if you want me to," Jim said. He raised an arm to point the star that was hung the lowest. "That one is the Victorian Star, named after—"

"Ah tahtah!" With a finger, Ariel shut the Hawkins' mouth. "I'll find out by myself, okay? Just tell me where the book that provides the map of stars is."

He removed her finger gently. "Always on it, huh? It's…" Jim turned around and scanned the bookshelf in front of him. Finding none, he turned around to face the one behind Ariel, and stopped at a dark green book. It had a star logo on it.

"There," Jim pointed at the book, and Ariel spotted it right away.

"Ah, that one. I just grabbed it moments ago. I'll definitely check it out."

He sat down on the chair, spectating her as she kept on with her job. He heard her very well, that she was in a thirst for an adventure. Jim himself was in the same mood, but he knew the priorities he had to take care of at the moment. However, Jim couldn't deny that Ariel was in a 'need' for an adventure, more than he ever was.

He cleared his throat. "Erhm, Ari…"

She turned to him. "Yes?"

"Look, I get it. I probably shouldn't have shared you my adventure that made you… really want to have a taste of the adventure that outer space could give. I can't promise you to take you out there _tomorrow_ , nor _next week_ , nor _next month_ , but I can promise you _someday_. Someday, I'll take you to the space up above." He smiled genuinely.

Ariel appreciated his effort by returning the same smile. She walked to the male and gave him a warm hug.

"Thank you," she whispered on his ear before letting go.

With that, he left the room to take care of his shift. His brief presence was enough to make that smile on her lips last until she finished with the room. The female added a final touch on the window before leaving the room to return the broom she had.

She walked in the hallway towards the counter where guests who wanted a room would be served. At the moment, there was no one in charge. Once there, with a click of a button, the broom retracted in length, making it possible to be saved in a tight space. The female saved it in a drawer in the counter.

On the counter itself, Ariel spotted something particular. It was a book, filled with list of guests and their room. She skimmed through the pages and stopped at the page listing the newest guests. She studied it, and discovered that they would leave in the next morning. From this, Ariel saw an opportunity.

"Perhaps… I can ask him. Yeah, maybe at the end of the day."

Meanwhile, the male Hawkins was making his way down to the dining room. The room wasn't crowded, but that didn't mean there weren't works to be done. As he crossed the room, he picked up orders, grabbed the dirty dishes, and cleaned the dirty tables, all in one go before he reached the kitchen. It wasn't the busiest hour of the day, so he wasn't on the fullest.

Before entering the kitchen, Jim placed all the grimy plates in a caddy. Right when he was about to push the door open, the conversation inside the room halted him. He later discovered that Sarah was having a chat with Silver, but they were speaking in a volume where they were almost whispering. The act of discreet intrigued the boy.

"HE WAS A WHAT?!"

"Quiet! This is just between us for now. Jim cannot know this, at least not yet."

Silver fixed the frying pan in his grasp, and continued frying the food in it. A wild question popped inside his head that stopped him "Sarah, does this make him, you know—"

" _No_ , let's move on from that," Sarah denied, with her hands forming an X. "That's all you get to know at the moment. What do you know about him, Silver?"

As much as he wanted to know more, Silver respected the family's privacy. "I've only heard of his name once, but his name was the main character of this story. I heard that he had raided ships from the royal kingdoms of Montressor, Cudenia, Omeistee, and probably more," Silver replied. The names that Silver mentioned only made Jim more intrigued into the story.

"Oh my, how much has he done in ten years?" Sarah crossed her arms, shaking her head in confusion.

"Ten years is a long time, Sarah. A lot must have happened," Silver said, placing some dirty plates into the dishwasher.

Sarah grumped. "I know. But, how much has _changed_ in him?"

The topic of the conversation was still a question mark for the eavesdropper at the moment, and listening more was his only hope of getting to know who was being talked about. However, several guests in the room were doing activities that involved _sounds._ Such as pushing a chair, contacting a fork against the plate, and worst of all, _a crying kid_.

"God—" Jim turned around to the source of the crying, "dammit." He attempted to focus his hearing into Sarah's and Silver's conversation, but the kid's crying was too loud.

"Oh for Pete's sake—" he turned around to the kid, who was now being soothed by Ariel. The kid's crying ceased instantly, as he was enjoying a popsicle given by Ariel.

"Thank God," now with the calmer atmosphere, Jim planted his ear on the door again. Before he could even hear more, Ariel pushed the door as she entered in, compromising the eavesdropping. Jim quickly posed normally.

"Sarah, I gave that kid a popsicle because his crying was too loud," Ariel reported.

"Oh it's okay. The popsicles _are_ for that kind of situation. They work like magic," placing her hands on her hips, Sarah spotted her son on the background, standing like a frozen statue.

"What is it, Jim?" Sarah raised a brow.

He shrugged, _naturally_. "Nothing, it's just these dishes are heavy."

"Put them here, lad," Silver gestured at the dishwasher.

"Aye aye."

Jim did as instructed, and left the room nonchalantly. His awkward aura didn't raise any suspicion, and he was glad to have it that way. He was hungry for more information about this person that they were on about.

* * *

"Montressor, Cudenia, and… what's the other one? Ugh, damn my brain," Jim cursed under the moonlight. The boy was sat on his bed, trying his best to remember the name of the planet that Silver had mentioned previously. His effort came in vain. He regretted for not arriving at the scene earlier. If he had arrived earlier, he would've known something he wasn't supposed to know yet, as it was mentioned by Sarah previously. Whatever it was, it was a family secret that he was yet to know. But at the moment, a rest was the most ideal thing to have.

Right when he landed his head on the pillow, a knock was heard on the door. Jim bolted up once again, "come in."

The door opened, and Silver was there.

"You were about to have some shut-eye, Jimbo?" Silver asked.

He shook his head. "Nu-uh, what's up?"

The cyborg sat on the edge of the bed, and immediately, a loud crack sounded as his heavy body descended a tad. He stood up immediately. His weight was obviously too much for the bed to withstand.

"I'll… take a look at it next morning," Silver pointed on the spot where he briefly sat.

"Heh, chill," Jim waved a hand. "What is it?"

"Erhm, I'll be leaving the inn within the next three days."

The boy gasped.

"This old cyborg is sure good at cooking, and it's been proven by the guests. But, this old cyborg is _way_ better at venturing the wonders up there," Silver 'grabbed' the air above him.

"Oh… well, my mother didn't fire you or anything, right?" Jim asked in a mocking tone.

"What are ya talkin' about? Why would she fire the best chef ever known?" Silver replied with a tone full of confidence.

"Right," he shrugged. "Well, I can't blame you. The latest map of the universe only covers a tiny shard of the _actual_ universe itself. More to see out there," Jim said. Silver was taken aback to see the boy being so impassive about his departure. Although, the fact was that Jim's true feelings were hidden away very well.

"You know me. I'm going off the map after I've gathered me crew," Silver said.

"I suppose… that's all I wanted to tell. Save the hug on the day I depart?" The cyborg asked. Jim agreed right away.

"Sure."

"Heh, night kid," he gave a friendly pat on the boy's shoulder. "Sleep well."

Jim watched the cyborg leave his bedroom with a smile, which soon turned upside down as he got further and further. Right when Silver turned to the left to go to his room, he spotted someone at the corner of his eyes that made him turn around for an instant.

"Ah, didn't know there was a queue," Silver said, leaving to his bedroom.

"Yeah, there was a queue," a chuckle was followed. Jim didn't know who it was until the figure entered. Ariel.

"Hey Jim," she greeted.

"Hey, what's up?"

The lass sat on Silver's previous spot, and inhaled an air, exhaling it afterwards. Seeing from the behavior, Jim suspected that it might be something serious.

"This afternoon, I checked the guest list, and the last guest is to check out from the inn tomorrow morning. After that, no one has booked a room or anything yet. I was thinking about…" she paused, still feeling doubt whether to ask her request to him or not.

"What is it?"

Once again, she took a deep breath. "I want to see the city, or town, or any civilization near the inn. Will you take me around? You know, we can kick in the 'exploration' with a small one, like the nearby town…"

And she proceeded to explain the things she'd like to see in the nearby town/city to strengthen the reason why he should take her nonstop. Jim chuckled, seeing how much of a simple request it was. "Of course, I'll take you around."

She stopped. "OH JIM, THANK YOU!"

Ariel attacked the male with a hug so sudden, she ended up laying on top of him. However, neither of the two felt any sense of privacy-trespassing feeling whatsoever. Ariel's face was buried in the crook of Jim's neck, where a wide smile was hidden away. But Jim didn't need to see it to acknowledge the girl's abundance of happiness.

Jim placed Ariel and himself back up, and connected his arms with hers. "We just need my mom's permission—"

"Already on it! I've asked her, and she said yes," Ariel cut.

The boy could only laugh. "Fine… just wake me up next morning."

"Will do," with love, Ariel kissed Jim on the cheek. "Good night."

"Good night."

 **What do you think of the song?**


	2. Chapter 2

**I made several illustrations of this chapter! Search RileyTheWriteyDude on deviantart and you'll see the illustrations.**

The rising dawn on the far east would only mean one thing for the residents of the Benbow inn; work. But, in this morning, a special occasion took place. The final guests have left, and no guests were expected to come anytime soon. And the best part, for the first time, the new member of the inn finally got to explore the town.

It's a burden that she had always wanted to ask. Not one person in the inn actually received the signal that she had always wanted to explore the town. Not even Sarah, who went to the town regularly, got the message. Jim thought she was content with everything in the inn. Silver, Morph, and Ben were too busy busying themselves with the work around the inn.

"Silver, will you look after them while they're in the town?" Sarah requested, which both Ariel and Jim overheard while putting their shoes on.

"I guess I have nothing better to do, eh?" Silver buckled his belt.

Both Jim and Ariel shared a glance, and both had the same mindset before Silver was told to tag along. Even though the word was never mentioned, the couple were thinking the trip as a date. However, it didn't seem to be happening right now.

"You two ready?" Silver asked, approaching the two on the entrance on the inn. Jim did a finishing move on his boot and nodded with a 'genuine' smile, and so did Ariel.

"Ready," Ariel replied.

* * *

"Extra, extra! Corpse found in recently!"

Hearing the headline from the boy, Ariel intriguingly pulled the sleeve of Jim's jacket. "Jim, that boy just said there's a corpse found!"

"That's just one of his tricks to arouse people's curiosity. What they actually mean is that there's a corpse in a funeral home, _as usual_ ," Jim explained.

"Funeral home?" Ariel asked.

"It's a house made for people whose beloved dead one to grieve over his or her death before buried," Jim scoffed in the end.

"Buried? In the ground?" She asked once again.

"You have a lot to teach, Jimbo," Silver pushed the boy, and received a scoff as a reply.

Here they were, in the plaza of Wildelight town. The early morning activity consisted of people heading off to work, paperboys and papergirls selling newspapers, aliens and humans sitting on floating benches while interacting, and many more. But it wasn't just the activity that mesmerized Ariel, as the interior of the plaza earned her attention as well.

The shape of the plaza was a hexagon, with a streetlamp sitting on each corner. Cobblestones decorated the floor of the plaza, with patterns resembling the sun up above adorning it. On the middle of the plaza, a statue of a solar ship being wrapped by tentacles from the base of the statue stood. Around the statue, placed a pond with fountains, with several people sitting on the edge while enjoying their breakfast.

It's certainly a sight that Ariel had never seen in her entire life, and both Jim and Silver were aware of the fact. So, the two walked very slowly, and stopped whenever Ariel fled herself to a direction where an interesting object lied. The males stopped walking when Ariel fled to an ice cream stand, and actually purchased an ice cream.

She was like a child in a carnival, and Silver & Jim were her parents. And Jim was about to have a taste of what it's like to be a single parent.

"Jimbo, I'll settle down here, off you two, but don't get too far," Silver said as he sat down by the fountain.

Jim cocked a brow. "Why so sudden?"

Silver merely shrugged. "Why not?"

Jim looked over to the direction where Ariel once again fled to. Seeing that she'd need constant supervision, Jim gave the old scalawag a nod before following her.

Soon, the sight of the boy and the girl was nowhere to be seen, as they disappeared into a corner. Jim's hustling phase made the old man chuckle a little, he knew how much the boy was into the girl. The sight rang a bell of him and his old lover who was long gone in the past. The reminded past turned that smile on Silver's face upside down, but it straightened again when a dove landed right in front of him.

Its feathers were white, its eyes were red, and Silver would be lying if he were to say to himself that the dove reminded him of his dead lover. However, he knew that there'd be no way that his wife had transformed into the shape of a dove, but that didn't mean he was not going to appreciate the coincidence.

Silver stood up and headed over to a stand where an alien was selling food; varying from bread, veggies, and meat. Silver purchased some breads, and returned to the previous spot, where the dove was patiently waiting for him.

"A patient one, eh?"

He took some bits from the bread, and dropped them in front of the dove. Instantly, the dove pecked the bits. The sight eventually brought a smile to his face.

While watching the bird feasting, a man sat down next to silver, a couple feet away. Silver didn't notice the presence of the man until he placed a mask right next to him. The object attracted Silver's attention, and his eyes widened when he saw the object.

It was the mask of a nemesis; an enemy from the past. It had been years since he last saw a glimpse of it, and never had he ever thought that he'd see it again. Silver looked up the owner, who was unfortunately looking at the other way. He could only see the man's brown hair from behind, along with the black cloak he had.

Out of the blue, the man tilted his head upwards, with his hand covering his mouth. It appeared that he was swallowing a pill or two, which Silver concluded after the man drank some water from his bottle. Silver cautiously watched his movement, but then he stood up, ran his hand across his mouth to wipe off the water, and left with the mask.

"Why do I have a bad feeling?"

He turned back to the dove in front of him, and it merely tilted its head curiously.

"I have to follow him, something's not good," Silver said, standing up and leaving the scene.

The old scalawag used his cybernetic eye to keep track of the man from behind, locking onto it constantly. The path that he followed soon took him to the market area of the town, where a crowd of merchants and buyers were acting as an obstacle. Every time somebody walked past the man, the lock on shut down, and Silver had to constantly lock on once again in order to keep on. It was a fuss.

The man was a couple of feet away from a part of the market where it was less crowded, which was good news for Silver. However, out of nowhere, he lost track of him.

"What the…"

The man's outfit was different from anybody else in the market, and it would be the first thing anyone would rely on if he/she were told to tail the man. However, there was no sign of a black cloak whatsoever.

Silver stopped on his track in the middle of the crowd, and scanned his surroundings as thoroughly as possible. He knew the longer he stood, the smaller the chances of him to spot his target once again. Little did he know, when the man put on his mask, he became someone else entirely. That someone else was a woman, carrying a basket of goods; a person whom anyone would suspect the least in a market. The 'woman' turned into a corner that led her to a small dark valley. She lifted her wrist, where there's a bracelet with a projector on it. She turned it on with a tap of a button, and a hologram was displayed in front of her. Two figures were seen; a red head and a brunette.

"Oh! What's that thing?"

Jim's eyes rolled up to see her, and then rolled to the direction of where her index finger was pointing. It was a sphere, with two wings on either side to keep it airborne. However, its particularly interesting circle on the sphere itself was… particularly interesting. Neither of the two had any idea that it was a lens, with someone on the other side of the town watching.

"I'm not sure if I can—oh"

Jim cut himself when the object flew away. It flew so high that it became a speck on the sky.

"Maybe it's a boy's toy or something, or perhaps even a living being," Jim said as he continued his walk.

"I bet it's a living being, since living beings in here vary diversely," Ariel crossed her arms in confidence, and the boy could only scoff at her attitude.

The two resumed their trip; both internally relieved to the fact that Silver gave them time and space for the rest of the day. Ariel and Jim visited the town's library, where Ariel made an embarrassment out of herself in front of the old gentleman who ran the place when she attempted to grab a book at a high spot and ended up dropping some. Luckily, Jim was there to catch them. The backpack Ariel had brought along could only fit two books in it, so Ariel took her time to choose which books to borrow.

Finished with the library, the two visited a local port where several solar boats were docked. Jim certainly had seen a better port up in the Montressor Spaceport, but for Ariel, it was one of the most magnificent sights she'd ever seen. Jim took her to a boat that was about to start up its engine, and its roaring engine sent vibration up her spine. It was so thunderous, that the two had to shut their ears to prevent them from bleeding. The two merely laughed at each other when they tried to speak to each other; but couldn't hear what they were on about as it took them several moments to gain their hearings once again.

"It's nearing lunch time, where should we head to before lunch?" Jim asked in the middle of his track. Pondering in her thoughts, she placed a finger on her chin. She mumbled, mumbled, and mumbled.

"I don't know. What do you think?" Ariel answered, stopping at a street lamp. Jim stopped too to think of another place to visit. While doing so, he noticed something that he hadn't really noticed; it's Ariel's attire. Of course, not having anything from the sea to wear apart from seashell bras, Ariel had no other choice but to wear Sarah's clothes. The one Ariel had put on this time was never really what would fit on her; a combination between dark and light brown with buttons on the belly area as decoration. However, it did make her look like a typical pretty girl from the other side of Wildelight Town, and it's something that he had to compliment.

"I like your outfit today," Jim complimented.

She blushed, like any other typical shy girl. "Thank you."

He scanned her attire from on top, and stopped at her footwear; a rugged-looking pair of brown boots. It's Sarah's old pair, and it didn't fit with the rest of Ariel's outfit.

"Let's get you some new footwear, shall we?" He tilted his head to signal the girl to follow him.

Ariel scoffed a little. "Why so sudden?"

"Why not?"

She gave him a little push. "What's wrong with this pair, Jim?"

"Take a look at it, Ari. It's only weeks away until they turn into dust. Are they even comfortable to wear?"

"Mm, I mean so far—" she was cut when she felt a sting on her left foot that halted her. It stung so bad, it made her bend her knees. When Jim realized the absence of her presence, he turned around to spot the girl.

"What's wrong?"

She didn't answer, because the sting was gone. Its brief presence was a question mark, what was that all about? Even though it was a question mark, Ariel didn't bother to search for an answer.

"Yeah, maybe you're right, I need new boots."

* * *

 _Clink-clink_

The bell rang as the door opened, warning the presence of a customer. The owner of the shop turned to the source of the sound, and smiled brightly at the couple.

"Good afternoon, young ones! How can I help you?"

The owner of the shoe shop was an old bear-looking alien, standing on two feet and dressed in a fine white shirt and black trouser which were hung by suspenders. He wore big shoes which were possibly the shiniest looking shoes on the planet, which reflected his passion on footwears.

"We're looking for boots, her size," Jim turned to the female. "What's your size again?"

She merely shrugged. "You think I know?"

Jim pursed his lips. "Could you perhaps guess her size, Mr. Grizzly?"

"I know just perfect size for you, Miss!"

Mr. Grizzly's eyes rolled from the left side to the right side of the shelf that displayed his collection of shoes that were for sale. He stopped on one, took a closer look, pictured Ariel wearing it by glancing at her briefly, and returned the pair. He did the same thing to several other pairs until he grabbed one with confidence and gave it to Ariel.

"This is a perfect one for you, Missy!"

It was a black leathered pair, lasting up to the shinbone area with a small belt acting as an extra tightener which was asymmetrically placed. The soles were thick and hard, as Ariel ran her fingers on them. The thickness of them added more weight, which brought her to question it.

"They're… pretty heavy,"

"A lass like you will need extra weight in order to kick some bad guys," Mr. Grizzly replied. "Like him, for example," he nudged at Jim with a playful smile.

"Hmph, of course," the boy scoffed. "But, come to think, he has a point. Especially if you wanna go out there to see the world."

The female accepted the reason. She continued her observation from many other angles, and found nothing to complain of. The boots were charming to look at. Flower-inspired embroidery on the heel area which was done with golden stitching added more level of aesthetics, and being accompanied with the golden colored metal parts on the small belts, ultimately created an accent that went well with the main colour of the boots.

"I think I'll have these," Ariel said, "how much for these?"

"I'm just gonna pretend today is your birthday," Jim said, which earned confused looks from Ariel and Mr. Grizzly. His statement was indeed out of nowhere.

"That's one way for being nice to your girl, but I gotta say that it's too—"

"Oh hush hush—" Jim pulled the owner of the shop by his massive arm towards the counter. "You put them on right away, Ari."

So, she did, after chuckling at Jim's attitude. Ariel pulled off her old footwear, and caught in a dumbfounded state when she discovered something on her foot. A purple stain, almost like a bruise, was on her left foot. The same thing was discovered when she removed the footwear on her right foot. The purple stain was under her skin, and seemed to follow the pattern of a vein. When applied a certain pressure from her thumb, the same sting spread through her feet.

 _'Did I step on something pointy this morning? …'_

Her hand crawled inside her old shoes to find something that could've caused such a pain, but found nothing.

 _'Perhaps it really is time for new shoes.'_

Shaking her head a little, Ariel put on her new shoes, and immediately, her feet were welcomed. She took baby steps after wearing them on, and adult steps after a few successful baby ones. The ex-mermaid looked at herself through a nearby mirror, and she could say that Mr. Grizzly's taste in shoes was a brilliant one.

"Will you look at that grin," Mr. Grizzly's bass voice called out, as he approached the female. "I can't remember the last time I saw one that's as wide as that."

"Mr. Grizzly, I love it! Thank you! The name is Ariel, by the way," she gave her hand for a handshake, which was returned by Mr. Grizzly's paws.

"You're welcome, Ariel. You're new around here?"

The question nerved her. "I-I am! I'm from…" she eyed at Jim for an answer.

"Breyworth Town, she moved in months ago, but never really got the chance to explore Wildelight," Jim replied seamlessly, which raised no suspicion from the owner of the shop.

"Breyworth, huh? Rarely see anyone from there, let alone anyone who would move from there. But, welcome! Welcome to Wildelight Town, you're currently standing in the best shoe shop in the town, and quite possibly on the planet," Mr. Grizzly answered with proudness filling his tone.

"I can't agree more, but we gotta go, Mr. Grizzly," Jim said, walking to the entrance of the shop. "Thanks for the boots again."

"Oh no, _thank_ you for the boots."

With that, the two left the shop after several waves of hands. Driven by hunger, Jim took Ariel to a street where culinary filled the atmosphere of the area. The street very much resembled a street market, but everything in the street was edible.

Jim's eyes were locked onto the endless options of culinary that stands, shops, and restaurants provided in the street, varying from the cheapest ones to the most exclusive ones. However, Ariel's eyes spotted someone peculiar; Silver!

"Hey, that's our old man," she pulled Jim's sleeve.

Initially, he didn't spot the 'old man' right away, but that pirate hat was something out of the planet. "Oh yeah, Silver!" Jim called.

The 'old man' never responded, and kept walking away from the two. Seeing so, Jim gestured at Ariel to follow her. With a speedy phase, they followed the figure whom they thought was Silver. However, in the middle of the track, Ariel's eyes once again caught something in particular; Silver, standing by a stand of foods at the edge of the street. To warn the male, she pulled him by the sleeve once again.

"Jim, that's Silver!" She said while pointing at a direction.

"I know, that's why we're going after him—"

"No, that's not him! He's right there!"

Jim turned his head to the direction where Ariel's index finger was pointing, and he stopped immediately.

"Yeah… that's him. But then, who's…"

The two looked at the previous direction in unison, and saw no one. No one wore a pirate hat, nor anything that resembled a pirate. They were both puzzled, where could he have gone to? Or more importantly, who was that person?

At this point, Jim was determined to find out, but Ariel was not.

"Oh well, perhaps it was someone else," she headed over to Silver. Seeing this, he dropped off the need to find out who the pirate was, and followed Ariel.

"Silver, hey!" The female greeted. The cyborg turned around, revealing two bags of foods in his arms, and… the previous dove, sitting casually on his shoulder.

"Oh hey!—" Silver was cut as the dove flew away. The three spectated its sudden departure for a moment, one with a slight frown; Silver.

"Aw, I was just making a new friend," the old scalawag complained.

"What was a dove doing on your shoulder?" Jim asked.

"I don't know! It wouldn't leave my side until you two showed up."

"Well, sorry, I guess?" Ariel shrugged.

The old man shook it off. "I was just about to head back to the plaza. You two hungry yet?"

"Yeah, we can totally grab a few bites for now," Jim rubbed his belly.

"That's the signal. Let's go, the boy won't behave if he's hungry."

* * *

Its shape was round, it had a lens on the middle with a pair of wings keeping it elevated from the ground. It's currently hovering above the eastern side of the plaza, spying in stealth at the trio; Jim, Ariel, and Silver, who were having lunch by the fountain of the plaza. The man who was watching the camera feed from the drone sat patiently in a spot in the town where he's not suspected. He lifted his hand to connect himself with his boss through the radio on his left ear.

"Report, time currently reads… half to one. The boy is having lunch, moment of interception doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon. He's still guarded by his girl and an unknown cyborg."

His boss replied, and he nodded several times while listening.

"Understood, out."

With that, he controlled his drone to move out of the area, as he was called to call off the mission. It returned to his possession seconds later, and was tucked away in a pouch. The man proceeded to call it a day.

Meanwhile, at the northern side of the plaza, the previous dove hid itself. Little did anyone know, its red blood eyes were connected with another pair of red blood eyes by a connection that could only be described as 'magic'. No technology was involved in this spying action.

On the other side of the eyes, the spectator smiled.

"There you are, Silver… Who are your friends here?"

The spectator watched the trio having a leisurely chat while enjoying culinary from the locals. At some point, Ariel let out a laugh in response to Jim's corny joke, stomped the ground with her foot, and cut herself when she sensed that same sting on her foot.

"Ouch—"

The males turned to her. "What's wrong?" Silver asked.

Ariel savvied what it was, but decided to keep it as a secret for now.

"I might've stomped the ground too hard, haha."

She took a bite on her bagel, and smiled nonchalantly.

 **Probably not the most exciting chapter in the world, I know. But thanks for reading, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year :)**


	3. Chapter 3

"You be safe out there, ya crazy old man!" Jim half-shouted at the pirate.

This was it, the day Silver to depart away from the inn. His job as a cook was a nice little 'vacation' for him, but now was the time for him to live the life of a pirate once again.

Everyone gathered on the beach to bid farewell. Of course, Silver being a genuine old man whose charisma never failed to impress, left them feeling sad. However, the only person to hold a handkerchief was someone who couldn't even produce tears; Ben, though Jim, who's a boy who thought real men do not cry, was trying his best not to cry.

"Safe? Hah! The universe will never be safe with me around!" Silver replied, turning on the engine on his boat.

"You're the ones who need to stay safe," he pointed his metal index finger at the crowd behind him.

"So long!"

The boat accelerated into the horizon, turning into a small dot that eventually took an altitude to the open sky. It was headed to the place where people would go in order to go further, Montressor Spaceport.

Soon, the Benbow Inn staffs turned around to head back to the inn. While walking, Ariel took Jim by the hand, and laid her head on his shoulder. A deep sigh was followed.

"I'm gonna miss him…"

"Me too, Ariel. Me too."

A tear managed to escape her eyes, and she prevented the rest from escaping by wiping them off right away.

* * *

 _Knock Knock_

Ariel lifted her chin up, taking away her attention from the book she was reading onto the source of the sound. It's an unusual thing to have someone knock the entrance door of Benbow Inn, as people simply just come in and the bell placed above the door would announce the presence of the guest. She questioned this for a second, but then the second knock was heard, so she rushed to the entrance right away.

The female twisted the knob, and another female was there to greet her.

"Um, hi!"

Her hair was dark green, and her crimson eyes contrasted her hair, giving a sense that she's someone from out of this planet. However, her attire was, well, very much from this planet. She wore jean overalls with one strap loose, with a light-yellow shirt tucked behind it along with an oil stain. The same oil stain was found on her boots, and the strap of her backpack.

Ariel thought about behaving as a normal person, but then she decided to behave the stranger as an employee of the inn. "Hello, welcome to Benbow Inn! How can I help you?"

"Uh, you guys need a pair of extra hands in the inn? No?"

Ariel cocked a brow. "Pardon me?"

"Do you have any vacancy available?"

The girl's request was something Ariel had never encountered. This was clearly a job that only Sarah could handle. So, Ariel turned around with a hope to find the person right away. She only saw the other Hawkins instead.

"Jim!"

He turned to her. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Could you tell Sarah to come down here?"

* * *

Here they were, in Sarah's 'office', which was basically on the dining table in which it was positioned by the window that faced the sea. It's been too long since Sarah actually interviewed somebody who had an intention to work in the inn. So, she was learning as she's interviewing the mysterious girl.

"Okay, Paige, I am going to be honest. I have a slight guilt for hiring someone like you, to be frank. Because… how old are you?"

"I'm fifteen, ma'am!"

Her eyes widened. "You're fifteen? I'll give it that your height is… a fifteen-year-old height, but your face represents someone younger than fifteen," Sarah commented.

"Oh, I get that a lot, ma'am, hahaha! Everybody says that to me."

"Okay, let me sum it up so far. Your name is Paige, no surname, no nothin'. Your skills involve fixing anything that has a machinery in it, cleaning things."

Sarah paused herself, and eyed for the stains all over Paige's clothes, which suggested the opposite idea of her last statement.

"And your weaknesses, they're nonexistent. I just hope my best that it's true," Sarah put a bit of sarcasm into her tone, which was returned by an uncomfortable chuckle by Paige.

"W-Well it's just, I think it's hard to figure that part, you know? I'll let you and other employees to be the judges for that."

At this point, Sarah had already found one weakness from Paige, and it's her overconfidence. But she let it slip away for now.

"May I ask you about your parents? Where are they? Did they tell you to find a job?" Sarah asked. Paige's uncomfortable smile turned into an uncomfortable frown.

"About that… my parents, uh, they're dead. Or missing, but most likely dead for now," her red eyes rolled down, finding her lap more interesting to see.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sarah cleared her throat. "Um, do you live somewhere?"

The girl pursed her lips, once again, feeling uncomfortable with the question. "Do you know the bridge that connects Wildelight and this coast?"

"Yes, why?"

"I… live under that bridge."

Sarah's eyes bulged right away, but hid them with a hand as she looked away. Certainly, there's a feeling inside her that made her feel sorry for the girl. But, considering Sarah barely knew her, she didn't know if she could hire someone like her, because the biggest chance was that Sarah would feel sympathetic for the girl, and let her live in the inn.

As much as she worried the girl, Sarah had to be smart about this as well.

"Right. Um, could you wait for a moment?" Sarah stood up from her seat, "I have to think for a moment. It won't be long."

"Oh please! don't mind me."

With that, Sarah left to the lobby of the inn, separated from the dining room with a wall. Inside the lobby, Ben was sat by the counter, eyes closed. Hibernating, most likely. But he was not the person whom Sarah wanted to talk to. That very person was inside the aquarium, a red crab who was relaxing on a fake coral.

Sarah knocked the aquarium with a finger, awakening the resident in it. Sebastian.

"Oh, uh, Sarah!" Sebastian headed to the surface and breached it. "Sebastian, at your service."

"Seb, it looks like the inn will have a new employee. But I'm not so sure…" the woman held her chin.

"What's the problem?"

"You see, the name is Paige. She has no surname whatsoever, which is unusual. Judging from the way she speaks, I can tell that she's a friendly person. But," she raised her shoulders. "That's not… going to be any useful in the inn, you know what I'm saying? Plus, she's from the poverty, which, to mean no offence at all, is not going to help either. And she's… as young as Jim and Ariel, but they're my children, basically. And this… is someone else's child! And her parents are dead! Or missing, I don't know, she doesn't know either because she literally said dead or missing. Oh God what do I do…"

Sebastian noticed that the woman's speaking phase was getting faster and faster. She didn't give a sign of stopping the ranting of her situation until Sebastian clapped his claws together to gain her attention.

"Sarah! Calm down, I understand the situation now. All I can say is… follow your heart. Do what it says."

"My heart… tells me something completely the opposite of my brain! What do I do—"

"Follow _the_ heart! Trust me!" Sebastian assured once again. "You're a good woman with a good heart, Sarah. I believe you know the best for the little girl."

Sarah silenced herself for a moment, taking her decision mentally before turning around to face back her problem once again. In the middle of her way, she forgot something important.

 _"_ _Seb, thank you,"_ she whispered, blowing a kiss.

Seb would be lying if he said he wasn't touched by the simple gesture.

And Paige would be lying if she said she didn't take a peek at whom Sarah was talking to. As soon as she spotted the woman approaching back, Paige returned to her seat right away.

"Right um," Sarah stopped beside the girl. "I will accept you as an employee, Paige."

The girl's face turned so bright, as if a sun had just materialized inside the inn. The hopes that she had had come true.

"And…" with a heavy but sincere heart, Sarah took a deep breath. "You will be staying in here, because I don't see anyone deserving a life under the bridge. From now on, you're a resident of the inn, and also an employee."

"Oh my lord, Ms. Hawkins, you're the kindest person ever!" Paige stood from her seat in excitement.

"However," Sarah paused the girl's excitement with her index finger. "I am expecting the best out of you. And I mean it. Work your hardest, or receive my _hardest._ Understood?"

To acknowledge the warning, Paige gave the woman a soldier salute and a genuine grateful smile. Seeing the behavior made the woman smirk a little, last time she saw a salute was from Jim years back then.

"Will a couch and a blanket do?" Sarah crossed her arms.

"Oh, I won't even mind a carpet."

"What does she look like?"

"She looks like a basic girl from the town, I think. Basing from her language, I think she's from the, not to mean any sense of arrogance, lower class of the society."

"Whoa, Ari. Where did you learn that?" Jim chuckled at her statement.

"From…" Ariel looked left and right at the book shelfs, and spotted the one she meant. "That one, _Linguistic 101_."

He merely scoffed, and returned his attention to the book in front of him. But his attention was once taken away when Ariel deeply sighed.

"It's probably just me, but I think she came from a harsh environment. I can see it, in her eyes. Do you think your mother will accept her?"

Jim pondered of an answer for a moment, then shut his book once he came up with one.

"Yes."

"Why so?"

"Because she's Sarah Hawkins. No matter how much troubles the universe throws at her, she never hesitates to help the other troubled ones," Jim scoffed to himself. "At least, that's what I've learnt from the past fifteen years."

 _"_ _Soon to be sixteen though…"_ he whispered the last bit very quietly, as his purpose was to only hint it.

"Soon what?" Ariel asked.

"Ariel, Jim."

The two turned to the entrance of the library, and there Sarah and Paige were stood. The couple stood from the couch right away. Seeing the two on their feet, Sarah gestured at the surroundings.

"This is the library, and that's the couch that I meant, Paige. This mini library closes at 7 pm, and it's your duty to clean it afterwards. The library opens at 8 am, so I expect you to tuck your pillow and your blanket away before it opens. Also, make sure the couch is at its cleanest condition," Sarah explained. The girl nodded in reply.

"Jim, Ariel, this is a new girl around here, Paige. Paige, Jim and Ariel."

"Hello guys! Nice to meet ya!"

The couple replied, "uh hey," in unison.

"Now the next guest is expected to arrive at 4 pm, which means plenty of time to get to know each other," a smirk curled on the woman's lips. "Easy first day for you, Paige. I'll call the others to go up here to meet you."

Giving several pats on her shoulder, Sarah left the room to call Ben and Morph. There was a brief moment of awkwardness between the trio, as they didn't know what to do. Thankfully, the male took over the control and broke the ice.

"You can sit down, Paige, if you want," Jim said as he dropped his body onto the couch where he was sat. Ariel followed his gesture right away.

"Oh thanks."

So, she did.

"So…" Ariel dragged the word. "Where are you from, Paige?"

"I'm from Wildelight town, though I'm pretty sure this is still the area of that town, right?" Paige asked, unsure of her statement.

"It is, geographically. But people simply call this area as the coast, though it is the coast of Wildelight, but the name was never mentioned. So, socially, it's the coast," Jim explained. "Wildelight, huh? What led you to here?"

"I'm… broke. I need a job to survive," Paige added a forced chuckle in the end. Ariel noticed this.

"Well," the red hair raised her shoulders, "obviously. But, why the Benbow Inn? Don't get me wrong, I'm completely okay with you in here. But we just wanna know why."

"Oh, I heard the owner is very kind, which is very true. I assume she's…" Paige pointed a finger at Jim. "Your mother, am I right?"

"Correct."

"Your. Mother. Is. The. Best. I mean, I came here as an unemployed girl, but she offered me a drink! A flipping drink! I mean, who does that? Who in the good name of Planet Montressor offers a drink to an employee candidate?" Paige's grin was only widening and widening at this point. Her cheerful side was showing up, and it was something that neither Jim nor Ariel expected.

"Hehe, but let's not get you ahead of yourself. A reprimand is something that she wouldn't hesitate if she found one of us not working. Jim here had experienced that, hadn't ya?" The female pushed her male slightly with a cocky smile.

"Yeah, yeah. It was a simple mistake—"

"Are you two together?"

The sudden question froze the couple in an instant.

"Y-Yeah, we are," Jim answered.

"OH. MY. GOODNESS. YOU'RE THE CUTEST COUPLE IN TOWN, I'M TELLING YOU," the fangirl palmed her hands. "When did you meet? Where? Oh don't tell me that you guys met during a…"

The question regarding the origin of Ariel's and Jim's relationship seemed to come in a package of a thousand questions, as Paige was not showing any sign of stopping. Briefly, the two shared a glance, and during so, Ariel conveyed a message that she was not willing to share everything yet by simply twitching her left eye slightly. Luckily, someone was there to save the day. It wasn't Jim, it wasn't Ariel, it certainly wasn't Paige. Ben!

"Hey guys, Sarah told me there's a new girl around here."

From Ben's view, he only saw both Ariel and Jim. That was, until a head popped out from the chair in front of him. In a flash, Paige was mesmerized by the robot's appearance. In her eyes, she saw Ben as something that her wrench could fix. Moved by instinct, her hand grabbed the object from her pocket.

"Oh, that's a nice wrench you have there. Hello, I'm Ben, Bio Electric Navigator. But just call me Ben," he gave his hand for a handshake. Paige noticed the gesture, and put away her wrench with a shy smile as she returned the handshake.

"N-Nice to meet you too, Ben. I'm Paige," she introduced.

"Oh, Paige. I bet we'd make good friends. Now, where is he again?" The robot put his hands on his hips, searching his left and right for the presence of his companion.

"He who?"

"Morph—oh," the robot cut himself when he spotted a flying wrench floating about next to the new girl. Paige exhaled a gasp when she noticed the weird phenomenon, and backed off a little. Afterwards, a 'squeaky' laughter was heard. The flying wrench morphed into… Morph. The cuddly little one immediately greeted the little girl by rubbing himself against her cheek.

"Ah, there he is. His name is Morph, a creature capable of morphing into anything, anyone, but size may not be the same as he's merely a small guy," Ben explained. "Ah, little fun guy, he is."

"Anything? Heh," Paige asked. "Can he turn into a screwdriver?"

Morph did as she questioned. He turned into a screwdriver.

"A bolt?"

Once again, Morph did as she questioned.

"A ten-millimeter socket?"

Morph did the same, morphing into her request. But this time, Paige's eyes spotted a flaw.

"That's a twelve-millimeter. Not a ten. But still, oh my god, that's super cool. Morph, you're so awesome!"

Morph blushed a little, and by 'blushed', he simply turned his colour entirely red. However, at this point, Paige was merely thinking of the works that she could overcome with the help from Morph. She wouldn't need to reach for her utensils, she could simply ask Morph to turn into the one she needed! A little selfish intention, if anyone were to know what she was on about.

"So, what's your duty? When's your shift too?" Ben asked, as he joined Jim on the couch.

"Oh, that's still to come, Ms. Hawkins will figure that out for me. For now, I guess I'll just take care of anything that can be taken care of, such as…" Paige paused herself, grabbed her wrench from her pocket, and suddenly tightened the bolt on Ben's knee joint. Her eyes saw the bolt being loose, and erupted the need to tighten it. Jim and Ariel spectated the scene with worry, because there was a reason for Ben to let that specific bolt loose.

However, Ben stopped her before she could finish. "Oh oh, no need for that young lady."

"Why not? It's loose, you can lose a leg anytime at anywhere, literally!" Paige responded.

"Because, if it's too tight, it will…" Ben attempted to straighten his leg, which he managed, only after producing uncomfortable screech of rusty steel being scrapped each other by the tightened bolt. The rusty steel produced the same ear bleeding noise as Ben positioned his leg back to normal again.

"Whoops," Paige removed her hands from her ears, "sorry?"

"Ah, it's fine. Good deeds are always appreciated," Ben said. Morph turned himself into a wrench and loosened the bolt right away.

"You're rusting up. You're gonna need some lubricant and a coating for that area," Paige said, worry filling her tone.

"By this time, it'd be much better to replace it, really. We have planned to do so in the future when the money is there," Jim responded. "I will be his surgeon."

"Surgery never sounds scarier than before," Ben responded. Everyone except Paige burst into a small laughter, because in here, she saw an opportunity.

"Can I be his surgeon too?" Paige asked.

"Uhh… I'm sure Jim needs someone to hold the flashlight, right? So then he wouldn't loosen the wrong bolt," Ben nudged the boy jokingly.

"Oh shut up, or I'll tighten that bolt on your jaw," Jim threatened, in a friendly way, of course. But someone decided to take it dramatically.

"Oh Hawkins! You did not just threaten Ben like that!" Ariel slapped the boy's shoulder, covering her agape smiling lips with the other hand.

"I can do whatever I want, Ari. I can throw you back into the ocean, if I want," Jim added a big laughter in the end, which was ceased right away after Ariel attacked his weak point, his sides. Jim's laughter turned into a pleading for mercy, but no sign of mercy was anywhere close. Ben somehow decided to join in, and so did Morph. The scene was quite the entertainment for the new girl, but a question popped inside her head.

"What's with Ariel and the ocean?" Paige asked, with an innocent and curious smile.

Ariel stopped her tickling, and so did everyone.

"Wha—what was the question?" Jim asked, collecting himself again.

Before Paige could repeat her question, Ariel answered, "I'm… not the best swimmer in the world. I know, it's embarrassing. Hahah."

"Oh, well, I can teach you how to swim!" Paige suggested.

"Mmmmaybe, in the future, maybe," Ariel clapped her hands once, steering the direction of the conversation to a direction she desired. "How about a tour of the inn? Pretty sure you haven't seen every corner of it, eh?"

"Sure!"

With that, everyone left the library after agreeing to the suggestion. Ariel was glad that she evaded questions from someone who had a strong sense of curiosity. She'd be glad to answer them, but would be gladder to keep her origin hidden for now.

While walking down the hall, Jim nudged his girlfriend, curling a cocky grin on his lips.

"Bad swimmer, huh? One hell of an excuse."

"Oh shut up."

 **Not much had happened here, but a lot more to come. There's your new character, Paige! An illustration of her will come in the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you say, boss? Do we take them now?"

"No. Not with Harold like this—we have to—"

"But boss, he's dead!"

"I KNOW!"

The boss slammed the table, and his boys swore he managed to crack it. Slightly intimidated by the action, the boys shut their bickering within in instant.

Under a trace of sunlight, the angry man's fist was exposed. The boys' eyes widened when they saw it, shocked of how unnormal it was. The veins inside his skin were dark purple, contrasting his light skin tone. The boss spotted the boys staring at his fist, and pulled it right away from the light.

"What are you two looking at?!"

"N-Nothing!" One boy replied.

"… We take them down once we have our chance. Ever since that day, Montressor Kingdom had tightened their security even more; even in the country sides. For now, keep a constant watch on them. Let me know if something happens," the boss replied. "Off you go."

"Aye aye."

Once his boys had left the room, the man gave a stare onto his hand. The reason why he smashed the thick table with a force no man could give was because he was on a brink of his humanity. Normal man would've winced in deep pain after smashing a table like he did. But, how could he do that?

Because he felt nothing.

Not even the sharpest blade in the galaxy could remind him of what pain feels like.

It might sound like a gift only men could dream, but in his eyes, it was a curse.

* * *

Reflecting like a mirror, Jim's blue eyes mirrored the night sky in front of him. A window was the only thing that separated him and the view in front of him.

He wouldn't lie, Silver's departure had left him hollow. His departure didn't simply mean there'd be less people to greet to in the morning. It also didn't mean that Jim could never get a taste of his famous Bonzabeast stew, which of course, he'd made slight adjustment so that everybody could have a taste of it without fearing the existence of someone's eyeball in it. Silver's departure also meant that Jim had lost the closest person to a father figure in his life.

Jim began to recall of his memories ever since he was kidnapped. Never had Jim ever thought that he'd meet Silver in a ship where he was imprisoned, though he didn't complain; as it is a classic coincidence to meet your old pal while 'adventuring'.

Jim then proceeded to remind himself of the days when Silver was the cook of the inn, to which he could've sworn that people came to the inn simply to eat Silver's cooking, not to stay for the night. However, not every part of the golden 'days' was brilliant. Once, Silver nearly set a fire with his flamethrower while cooking his stew. Sarah, being the boss around, of course had to warn him.

"Heh, imagine if… Silver had put an eyeball into the stew and served it."

Which he didn't, thankfully. It would've been a worse tragedy if compared to setting the kitchen on fire.

Every bit of memory they'd shared and every bit of his personality had essentially made him the father figure in Jim's life. However, Silver's thirst for an adventure was too much to ignore. Jim knew that, and he forced himself to acknowledge it.

Abruptly, he came to the question he'd been unable to answer so far in his life.

"Who's my real father?"

Sore with standing in the whole time, Jim dragged a chair that was placed behind him. In the process, he caught a glimpse of a figure on the door of his bedroom.

"Hey Jim, you okay?" His mother asked, entering the room.

"Oh, yeah. I am," he sat down, and returned his vision to the night sky on the window.

"Something crossed your mind?" Sarah stood beside her son. She placed both of her hands on his right shoulder.

Jim thought to answer truthfully, but he hesitated for a second. To ready himself, he inhaled deeply.

"Mom, who's my father?"

Her jaw lowered down abruptly, and tightened it right away, thinking desperately for an answer.

"He's… he's… what do you mean, Jim?" Sarah decided to postpone the answer, prolonging her time to think.

"What was he like? It's been so long, I can barely remember a thing about him," Jim's eyes trailed down to his lap, then trailed up to see his mother's. "Do you see him in me?"

"Yes! He's… adventurous, obviously. Too adventurous, I'd say. He's… handsome, and…" Sarah was cut short as she's unable to think of anything else.

"Well, why did he leave us?"

And finally, came the question Sarah was hoping would never come.

"… We had an argument about a problem. Your father was too much of an adventurer rather than a husband, nor a father," Sarah answered. Her answer was true overall, but there were several details she didn't mention on purpose, and she had no intention of mentioning them. So, she bent down her spine to meet Jim's right ear.

"Now don't you _ever_ dare leave me like he did, okay?" Sarah half whispered.

"Of course I won't," he turned to his mother.

She nodded down. "Good. Leland is history, no use in digging his past. Off to bed you go, Jim." She patted his shoulder. Jim would be lying if he thought that her statement was a warning. But he kept it away for himself. He obeyed his mother and hopped onto the bed. The two bid each other good night, with one person walking away in worry. Should she contain her secret any longer?

* * *

"I don't know Ari, it's been only a day, initial impressions don't last that long."

"You're right. They don't."

The wind was rather blasting itself during the noon, so Sebastian had to make sure that he had a good grip on Ariel's collar. Ariel found her hair being 'stormy' due to the wind, and quickly made it into a bun as she made her way down to the beach.

Being a part in the royalty, Sebastian had to provide some time both on land and in sea. On land, he'd keep his eyes on Ariel, or in other words; enjoy the life in Benbow Inn. In sea, he'd handle diplomatic problems, give advises to the king, and be a music conductor of the kingdom. For the next days, the ocean was to be his home.

"Paige is a good girl, I can tell that after seeing her rushing past the lobby numerous times. She's willing to work, I can assure that," Sebastian commented. "Besides, I think it's about time for you to have a female friend in your life."

"Uh, I _do_ have a female friend, Seb," Ariel stopped on her track, staring at the crustacean.

"Who?"

"Sarah!"

"That doesn't really count. Did you have a female friend when you were still a mermaid?" The crab gestured at the ocean in front of him.

"I do! I have…"

The only girls that popped inside Ariel's head was her sisters, which she wouldn't consider as so, though there's no obligation to consider them not as friends but as siblings. Other than her sisters, no mermaid came to mind.

"Okay, you win. But I'd still count Sarah as my friend. A good one," she crossed her arms.

"Haha, told ya. Well, I better get going, duty calls."

The crab hopped off, the sand below him softening his landing. Before he could even step into the water, a weird phenomenon occurred; the water receded all in sudden. The reason was revealed when he looked ahead of him, a figure that made him bow down.

"Your majesty!" Sebastian called, "what brings you here?"

King Triton sat on the usual rock, the rock which he'd sit on whenever he visited the beach of Benbow Inn. "To see my daughter, I've longed to see her."

"Ah, very well," Sebastian walked into the water, but before diving, he looked at the two with a smirk.

"You two should talk. Talk a lot, I mean. Ariel's not in her shift too, so use this opportunity, Your Majesty."

With that, the crustacean disappeared into the water. King Triton cleared his throat and returned his vision to his daughter, who had a rather forced smile on her face; though he didn't realize it was forced.

"How are you doing, my dear?" He scanned her outfit, which was out of this world; his world, specifically. "You appear to have blended with the society up there rather well."

"What, oh this? Oh it's nothing, I just thought it looked cool," Ariel sat down on the sands, removing the laces on her boots. The sight made the king question a bit.

"What are you doing?"

The daughter figure placed her boots away, and positioned herself closer to her father while dipping her feet into the water. "You're not the only one who'd longed a meeting like this, daddy."

He chuckled slightly, then pulled her into a hug. Several weeks of no communication between the two had formed a sense of hollowness inside the two, yet it's the essential to define this moment as a father and daughter moment. For a moment, the two swore that they felt a third member joining the hug, that they peeled their eyes and pulled away to check if such person existed. Of course, such person didn't exist.

"Did you feel that, dad?" Ariel asked.

"I did…" then, a harsh single blow of wind blew past the two, making the king have to adjust his beard slightly. He then concluded it was the wind.

"It's probably the wind, haha," King Triton laughed. Ariel didn't agree with him, but not having a better answer, she shook it off for now.

What they didn't know, was the fact that Athena, the wife of King Triton and the mother of Ariel, had just come by.

"How are the others? How is Adella doing with her so-called companion now?" Ariel sarcastically asked.

"Ariel, you're not the one who's allowed to have a 'companion', you know," the father cocked a brow. "And you have a companion out of this world."

"Oh, yes, I know. But, Adella seemed so desperate, you know? She claims that she was being approached, but it was the other way around, as I've witnessed. Haha!" She slapped a knee.

"Well what about you two? Who made the first move?" Triton curiously asked. The daughter pondered for a while, scratching her chin for a bit.

"We once had a conversation, and we basically admitted that we had a crush on each other. But timeline wise, I don't know who started first. Maybe him, maybe me, but either way, it wouldn't have made much difference, right?" Ariel looked up to him.

"Mhm. You wanna know a little family secret?" Triton teasingly asked, which of course, grabbed his daughter's attention right away.

"What is it?"

He looked around to check for anyone, then whispered, "your mother made the first move on me."

When Ariel saw the look on her father's face, she wasn't convinced much. "I don't believe that."

"Oho~ you don't?"

The father and the daughter proceeded to continue their talk long and wide. As much as Ariel wanted to be a human, she acknowledged the existence of her one and only parent she had and how important he was. So, moments like this had to be squeezed into her agenda; not to leave an impression that she was not a selfish brat who'd abandon her family behind, but to simply love his dad as any other daughters would do.

Ariel was more than glad to see her dad being okay with her decision, after explaining that it was more than just a person that she wanted to see more out here on dry land. She wanted to witness the answers of her piling questions regarding the world and its content; how were people able to fly on ships? Why are the stars so bright? What's there beyond the stars? Triton wouldn't lie; he'd caught himself questioning the same when Ariel mentioned these questions. But then, he thought he should've seen the hazard of marrying Athena in the first place, that a blood of curiosity would be passed to their children; and Ariel happened to have the most of it.

And at the moment, a father-and-daughter moment was being created. Smiles, laughs, snorts, nods, 'oooh', 'aah', slapped knee, you name it. Their conversation was seeing no end anytime soon.

Usually, in the inn, the workers wouldn't mind an absence of a worker if it wasn't the worker's shift right now. However, due to the existence of a new worker around, Paige started questioning. And it's not like she asked Jim or the other guys where Ariel's whereabouts were, she searched for the answer by herself instead. She scoured around the inn to find her, calling her name in every room she stepped in.

The search eventually led her outside. Once again, she called out into the air, "Ariel?!"

Ariel herself heard her name being called. It was distant, but enough to be considered as a warning.

"Dad, sorry, we gotta cut it here. You have to return," Ariel slightly pushed her dad. Of course, her dad was puzzled.

"What's wrong? Thought everybody knew me already, Ariel."

"She's a new girl around! The name is Paige, and I don't think I'm ready to reveal everything to her yet," her eyes trailed onto her dad's, conveying worry.

"Ah, a girl? Befriend her, you're lacking a female friend in your life," Triton dipped himself on the water, pointing at her daughter with a finger to remind her.

"You literally just said the same thing as Sebastian did, daddy. I know, I'm in the process. Just give me some time," the girl stepped off the rock she was sat on, and proceeded to put on her boots. Hearing her daughter's response made him chuckle a little. But it was cut short when he spotted something odd.

"Ariel… what is that?"

She looked up to her dad. "What is what?"

"Your foot. That's not normal."

Indeed, it was an unusual sight. Ariel's foot had a purple mark shaped in veins, and she could swear that the mark was bigger than before, as if it was spreading. The beans had been spilled, and Ariel intended not to spill it initially. But there was nothing she could do now.

"Come here, sit on the rock, quickly," Triton sternly commanded. Ariel noticed the sternness, and decided to obey, even though Paige might come anytime soon. She sat on the same rock, allowing Triton to observe the weird phenomenon more thoroughly.

"Does it hurt?" He rolled his eyes onto hers. She shook her head as a 'no'.

"It used to, but now it's completely gone."

"Well, let's not consider that as good news yet. When did this appear?"

"I discovered it days ago. Might've been there more than that."

"ARIEL?!"

The two looked up to the cliff, and saw nobody, yet.

"I'll look for an answer in the kingdom. The experts might have the answer," he let go of his daughter's foot.

"Thank you, Daddy. Hopefully it's curable," she hopped off the rock back to the sands. In a hurry, she put on her footwears.

"Mm. I'll see you later, Ari."

"See you!"

When her father disappeared into the water, Ariel checked on the cliff up above. Right when doing so, a head peeked out from the edge of it. Of course, it was Paige. Her eyes stopped on Ariel's figure, who gave her a wave as a greeting. But her eyes were more interested in a glimpse of a very big fin dashing into the depth in the ocean.

"Was that a big fish I just spotted there?" She called out.

 _'_ _Oh my god, did she just mistake my father as a big fish?'_ Ariel asked to herself mentally. A snort was followed afterwards.

"A b-big fish…" her spine bent down, hiding that laugh that was about to explode if anymore joke was added.

"Looks like a cod or something, but cod's do not get that big, don't they?"

"HAHAHA!" Ariel lost it. Her father looked like a cod. She was on her knees, repeating Paige's statement mentally over and over, and laughing about it over and over. King of the sea, mistaken as a cod.

"You alright there, Ari?" Paige called out, descending down the footsteps to the beach.

"A-Awh! I'm fine—it's just…" she didn't bother finishing her sentence.

Paige kept her eyes on the red head until she eventually reached her. Once she stepped in front of her, Ariel looked up, still very much giggling about. However, one bizarre thing caught Paige's eyes.

"Oh my, Ariel, your face is in the same color as your hair," she snorted.

"Really? Oh lord, I really need to stop," Ariel wiped a tear, a tear of 'joy', off of her cheek with a wrist. She fanned herself with both of her hands until Paige confirmed that her normal skin returned with a thumbs up.

"Well, is it my shift yet?" Ariel walked past the female. She shrugged in response.

"I dunno. It might be. Say, what were you doing here on the beach?" Paige asked.

"Um… meeting that big fish?" Ariel snorted once again, and continued her laughter again nonetheless. But this time, it ended shortly on the middle of her way on the stairs.

"I uh… was just relaxing. That big fish is a friend of mine. But don't get me wrong," she half turned to Paige. "It's not like I… talk to fish or anything."

"Well, Sarah just talked to a crab yesterday. And the crab seemed to respond too!" Paige replied, and that put Ariel stationery.

"Y-You…" Ariel half turned to her again. "Must have… mistaken! Perhaps she was merely talking to Ben."

Curling a lopsided grin, she acknowledged Ariel's response. "Yeah, most likely. There's no way a crab can talk, right?"

 _'_ _Oh Paige, if only you knew…'_

"Oh Paige, if only it were possible," she contrasted her spoken statement with her mental one, specifically on the tone.

As they were about to approach the back entrance of the inn, Paige was reminded by something that she stopped on her track. "Oh yes, and Ariel? Could you help me out with something?"

The red head turned to her. "Sure. What's the problem?"

"I was cleaning the wall in guest rooms, but I can't quite reach the upper area. You're taller than me, could you help me out?"

Ariel squinted her eyes in disbelief. "Taller?"

Determined to find out, Ariel positioned herself right in front of Paige, close enough to find out who was taller. The gap between the two could only be filled with a mere paper, but Ariel sensed no discomfort as she was trying to find out who was taller, unlike Paige. She placed a hand on top of her head, and slid it onto Paige's. The result was the two's heights were exactly the same. Seeing the result expressed on Ariel's 'really?' face, Paige could only smile sheepishly.

"It's the hair, isn't it?" Ariel asked.

"Yeah, probably the hair. Hehe."

The ex-mermaid rolled her eyes away, but smiled at it eventually. "Come on, I'll help you out."

"Yes!"

Like teenagers in their golden age, they were running their way towards the guest room hallway. The two didn't really have any reason to do so, as if it's their instinct to just simply run.

In their way, they stumbled upon someone particularly interesting, though Paige had no idea who she was.

"Oh, Amelia!"

The feline woman was behaving like one of those people who was on a search for someone in a particularly unfamiliar environment. She was glad to see someone whom she recognized in the lobby.

"Hey, Ariel!" She waved a hand.

The two stopped in front of her. "What brings you here?" Ariel asked.

"Sarah called me, something rather urgent, she said. Do you know where she is right now?"

"Oh, she might be in the library. Think it's her shift to clean that room," Ariel shrugged. "Hopefully I'm correct. I'm not entirely sure, though."

"Gotcha, library," Amelia trailed her eyes onto the girl next to the ex-mermaid, whom she didn't recognize. "And you are?"

"Amelia, this is Paige. Paige, Amelia. Paige is a new worker in the inn, only been here for several days." Ariel quickly introduced. Like the captain herself, Amelia shook the girl's hand firmly, while Paige was transmitting an energy of awkwardness through the handshake.

"Nice to meet you, Paige. I wish you good luck throughout your time in this inn," Amelia smiled sincerely. However, it wasn't really returned with the same kind of smile from Paige.

"U-Uh, nice to meet you too! And thanks."

"Very well, I shall be heading to the library now. Have fun, you two."

With that, Amelia made her way towards the library. Indeed, she was called by Sarah to come down to the inn. Obeying the sister code, Amelia didn't hesitate to leave her babies right away with her husband.

There she was, in front of the library. Amelia gave the door two knocks before stepping into the room. Right away, Sarah was there to greet her arrival.

"Oh, Amelia. Thank you so much for coming!" She gave her friend a warm hug, which was returned in the same manner.

"Anytime, Sarah," Amelia let go. "So, what's this urgent thing you're facing right now?"

Sarah walked away from the feline, staring at the floor while doing so. "It's… actually a family problem, and I genuinely feel bad for dragging you into this. But I have no other choice, considering this is Jim we're talking about. We know how persistent he can be."

"Whoa, slow down. Back up, back up," Amelia gestured at Sarah to calm down. "What is it with Jim?"

Sighing deeply, Sarah shoved her elbow with a hand. "Last night, Jim was in deep thoughts. He'd been like this ever since Silver's departure. I know how close he is with the cyborg pirate, and it's not like I'm disagreeing their relationship. The thing is, Jim began to question his father's existence. Who is he? Why did he leave us?"

"Mhm. And?" Amelia crossed her arms, feeling suspicious.

"Leland Hawkins. Great adventurer, terrible husband, in a nutshell. Everything you need to know to comprehend how much of a terrible person he was is in here…"

Sarah firmly held her pendant on her neck, containing memories recorded in a projection. "I need you to take it, keep it in your house, away from Jim."

In disagreement, Amelia shook her head. "Sarah, you haven't quite answered my question. What is it with Leland that you really need to keep his information away from your son?" Amelia furrowed a brow.

"Amelia, the captain who took you, Delbert, and John," she gestured at the beached ship she meant just outside of the room's window, "was named Harold Victor. John and I once searched the ship, and found a journal in it. I gave it a good riddance, but I stored its content in my memory pendant."

"What's in the journal?"

"It's filled with his records, and well, basic space pirate stuff. And apparently," Sarah sighed once again.

"Harold worked for Leland."

Amelia was a hard woman to astonish, but this news was certainly one that astonished her. "Leland?"

"Yes! Ten years ago, he walked out of the house, and this is what he became! The fact that he had kidnapped Jim means that he wants to see my son! Not his, mine! For what purpose? I don't know! But I cannot allow that to happen, ever!" At this point, Sarah was boiling with anger and worry. She couldn't, and _wouldn't_ imagine the things that could happen to her one and only son.

"He must've meant harm if he sent his men to literally kidnap Jim! What else could he possibly—"

"Sarah, Sarah! Calm down!" Amelia strongly took a grip on Sarah's arms. Her cat eyes stared into Sarah's soul deeply, ceasing her hectic emotion within an instant.

"I understand that. I'll have the pendant stored in my safe. But you need to ask yourself these questions," she let go of the Hawkins. "First, will it do any good for you to leave your son living in a cluelessness regarding who his father really is? Second, Leland's man, who was it?"

"Harold Victor."

"Harold didn't just imprison Jim, I must recall. He took Silver, Delbert, and I as well. A more specific purpose is under his sleeve, that's for sure, other than causing harm. And that's a question mark for us, dearie," Amelia explained, to which Sarah came up to a realization that Amelia was true. Apparently, her motherly instinct had blinded her for a while.

"That's… true. I'm sorry," Sarah uncomfortably shoved her arm. In her eyes, Amelia merely saw an innocent mother-being who was haunted with worry over her son, that it blinded her.

"Oh don't be, darling. It's okay. You just need a cup of tea to refresh yourself. Now, the pendant, please," Amelia requested. Gently, Sarah removed her memory pendant, and placed it in Amelia's hand.

"Take a good care of it," Sarah asked. "Oh, and there's actually more about Leland, if you still remember?"

"Is it the story where he was rather fishy?" Amelia snorted a bit, and Sarah let out the same thing.

"Yes… correct. Well, thank you for doing me a favor, Amelia. Truly, thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, dearie."

"Now, it'd be rude to not serve my guest with my delicacy, all in a form of a tea. Tea?" Sarah pointed a thumb to her back with a smile.

"Tea sounds brilliant."

So, they left the room to savor the taste of Wildelight tea in the dining room. Little did they know, someone had been eavesdropping the conversation. Every single word, every single sigh, everything was patiently heard by him.

"I gotta take that pendant."

Jim whispered to himself, and walked out from his hiding nonchalantly.

 **About Paige's illustration, it's postponed. To imagine her in a rough way, she has a dark braided green hair with messy bangs, and red eyes. I've mentioned she's as tall as Ariel, and her usual outfit in the previous chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

1 am.

That's what the clock on the wall read.

A mental alarm signaled inside Jim's head once he saw the time. It was his time to go, to retrieve a piece of 'himself' back in the residence of Doppler's family.

Jim did a final check on the content of his bag, mentally listing the items he'd need in the future. He was practically about to attempt a burglary, the difference only lying on the item he's about to take, or retrieve, more likely. His mother's pendant.

"Right, I'm set," he breathed.

Having his final check done, Jim snuck out of the window of his bedroom, where a slight breeze of wind instantly welcomed him. The cold breeze sent a shock up through his spine, so he covered himself more with his leather jacket.

His foot slid against the roof of the inn seamlessly, as he has done this countless times in his life. Reaching the end, he landed on the ground, with only the sound of his clothes cutting the air produced in the scene. He was an ace at this.

The boy circled around the inn to meet the garage, which had a fingerprint lock on it. With his thumb, he unlocked it, and a _clunk_ sounded from the base of the door.

As silent as possible, he opened the double door, and walked out with the solar surfer of his. Once it was out, he hoisted the sail, and dragged the surfer to the edge of the cliff.

To minimize the chances of being heard, Jim looked down at the beach, with his foot ready on the ignition of the surfer. His plan was to ignite the engine by the time a wave crashed into the beach. However, the waves in the night weren't particularly big, nor even loud for that.

The risks were big, but Jim had to take it.

Timing his timing perfectly, Jim ignited the surfer when a wave crashed, and accelerated into the open air.

Of course, to make the story more interesting, someone _had to_ witness his departure from the window of her bedroom.

Although her vision was blurry, the backfire of the surfer was enough to tell who was sailing on the surfer away from the inn.

"J-Jim?" Ariel spoke sleepily.

The trip to the Doppler's residence didn't take long for the boy, mainly due to the fact that he was speeding. Luckily, no cops were there to spot the crime. His luck was on his side, since he was flying above the town where it was actually a no-flying zone.

From a distance, Jim could see it. His destination was only a stone throw away.

Doctor Delbert Doppler was a successful person in science, so, having a mansion as his residence was something he could easily experience. At the west side of the building, was 'planted' his own room that resided a big telescope to observe the stars. From Jim's perspective, it was the perfect place to land, as it had a balcony on it.

As he inched onto the railings of the balcony by hovering, Jim stepped onto the balcony, and firmly held the surfer, placing it on the railing after shutting it down. Having done that, he turned to his first obstacle of the night; a door.

Jim had just the right tool for the case: a simple lockpick. The door itself wasn't particularly advanced, mechanical and not electrical.

He went right into work, and once again, luck was on his side. The _clunk_ sound sounded right away after several tries, signaling the unlocked door.

As gently as possible, Jim walked into the room. The last time he visited this room was when after the old Benbow Inn was burned down, and Delbert sheltered the Hawkins. Jim could very much picture his memory in the room, and never had he ever thought the next time he was going to visit the room again was to steal something.

 _"Here goes nothing..."_ Jim whispered to himself, putting on a mask to hide his identity.

Lighting was terrible, so Jim had to use a flashlight in order to see his way. He wasn't knowledgeable when it comes to the content of the mansion, so he was learning as he's going.

 _"Amelia mentioned a safe... it's probably in her room..."_

That was his best shot for now, but then again, where would that room be?

Jim exited the observatory room, and found himself in a long hallway ahead of him. Traces of light that managed to slip through the curtains of the windows on the wall were the only source of illumination, but they were enough to reveal the numbers of doors across the windows themselves.

Unlike any other person, Jim didn't sigh in despair. He instead jumped into work instantly, checking every room in the hallway.

The first room he checked turned out to be a reading room, very much a reminiscence of the library in the inn. Though his objective was to find Amelia's room, there was nothing to lose if he could do a quick survey of the room. Jim examined every corner of the room, every drawer, and every row of the shelfs inside the room. Zero result.

Not wasting his time, the boy proceeded to exit the room. He walked in silence towards the next room, which happened to be a room for kids to play. There were drawings on the wall, little toys scattered around the floor, a small swing set, anything that could make the four children of Amelia and Delbert happy. Seeing no interest in investigating the room, Jim merely had a thorough scan of the room from right to left, and left when he discovered no such thing as a safe.

Right when he was about to land a foot on the corridor, he saw a figure on the corner of his eyes. He pulled his foot back, attempted to calm his heartbeat a tad, and took a peek of who it was.

It was a little girl, one of three Amelia's daughters, walking and yawning in the same time while walking deeper into the corridor, possibly minding her midnight routine.

The little child happened to walk out of the room Jim was about to search, which gave him a hint of what it could possibly be. Once the little girl was out of his sight, he tiptoed his way towards the next room to see if he was true. He was right, it was the children's bedroom.

 _"What are the odds of Amelia putting her safe inside this room?"_

None, as Jim scanned the room by merely peeking from the door. He could only see the individual beds of the children of Amelia and Delbert, with their children snoring peacefully, but no safe.

He continued his search, went around the corner, and spotted a door. It was almost shut, but a tiny gap was there. Jim planted his body on the wall and grabbed the handle.

 _Flush..._

It was the bathroom!

By instinct, Jim dashed away into the darkness to hide himself. Seconds later, the little girl came out, and Jim spectated her movement until he was sure she was out of his sight. He couldn't risk being spotted by a walking bomb with a fuse shorter than an inch.

Slowly but surely, she walked back to her bedroom. Relieved by her disappearance, Jim headed deeper into the house.

Ahead of him, he spotted what seemed to be chandelier, hanging on the ceiling inside a big round hall. The hall turned out to be the main entrance of the building, with more passages that could lead to other chambers in the mansion. Since Jim was positioned on the second floor, he examined every passage, and stopped at a particular door. It was white, unlike any other doors he'd seen in the night.

 _'That must be their bedroom.'_ Jim stated mentally.

Done checking the surroundings, Jim made his way downstairs to meet that door.

He grabbed the handle of the door, twisted it with a twitch of a muscle slowly, and opened it.

The loudest thing he could hear right now was his own heartbeat when he saw the Doppler couple asleep in their bed. He tried his best to breathe as gently as possible.

Obviously, his biggest obstacle was the couple. But Jim came prepared.

His hand dug into his bag, and pulled out a pouch. Inside, it was a powder made by the greatest alchemist he has ever known: Silver. If inhaled, it'd put a person into a deep slumber, but only for five minutes. If inhaled while asleep, it'd put the inhaler into a lucid dream for the same amount of time; the hardest state to get out when asleep. Hence, the name: Lucid powder.

Jim approached the sleeping couple as close as possible, and casted the powder around their facial features. He started on Amelia, and Delbert afterwards. The effect appeared within seconds. The two scrunched their eyes, quite possibly encountering something fearful inside their dreams.

"Uh..." Amelia whimpered.

"Agh..." Delbert whined.

This was it.

Jim landed his bag on the floor rather hard, but the sound didn't wake the two at all. In a hurry, he searched every possible spot that could possess a safe or anything close. Determined to leave no evidence, he returned things back to where they were. By the time he opened a big closet, his eyes locked onto a chest.

 _'This could be it!'_

The chest was locked, and seemed to have a rather complicated lock mechanism that he'd never seen before. But every chest has a pair of joints, and this one was no exception. Jim had just the tool for that.

He pulled his bag, and pulled out the bracelet out of it. It wasn't any bracelet, it was the Aqualet. A magical bracelet that could control any form of liquid if the holder could harness it. Luckily, Jim had several sessions with Ariel to learn to use it. And it was about to be used to perform a burglary.

 _'Forgive me Ariel...'_

He wore the bracelet, and pulled out another object from his bag. It was a small glass vessel, with a corrosive acid inside. With a _pop_ , he opened the lid, and danced his fingers off.

By magic, the acid 'obeyed' Jim's command, and floated out of the vessel, onto the joints of the safe. In an instant, the joints melted away, allowing the safe to be opened with some force.

And there it was, Sarah Hawkins' pendant.

Jim almost couldn't believe his luck tonight. Sure, there were some obstacles and a close moment, but this would be considered as a success. Because why wouldn't he?

Now that the pendant was in his possession, Jim turned around to finish his mission. Right away, he froze on his place, eyes bulging at the figure across the room.

On the door, the same little girl was stood. She was frozen as well, but for how long?

"EEEEEEEEKKK! MOMMY!"

With a big powerful leap, Jim jumped over the king-sized bed to reach the little girl. He circled one arm around the girl, and used the other to shut her mouth. Considering he had a mask on, it was not much of a help to calm the girl down because it gave the impression that he was a monster that wanted to eat the little girl alive. Little did Jim know, calming her down was no use.

"Mm... Tilly?"

Jim looked behind him, and Amelia was half awake. Less than a second, she was fully awake! "WHO ARE YOU?!"

' _Fuck me!'_

He dashed away for his life, as the last thing he would want to have in his life was to be smacked in the face by Amelia. Jim could've sworn that his heartbeat followed the same rhythm of his footsteps, and he was running!

When he reached the stairs, he saw Amelia and Delbert stepping out of their room. Amelia didn't chase after the burglar right away, instead, she signaled the others.

"THIEF! EVERYONE, THERE'S A BLOODY THIEF IN THE HOUSE!"

 _'Fuck... the entire Wildelight must've heard her!'_

Jim kept on running. He followed the same way he came, with a hope that no one would stop him. Suddenly, out of doors that Jim never checked, came out the housemaids. When they spotted the unknown figure, they immediately chased him down.

What Jim swore was the sound of galloping horses, more pressure was added onto the boy's shoulders when the lighting of the hallway he was running in lighted up, revealing him fully.

In the process, the housemaids signaled the others about Jim's whereabouts and where he was heading. This worsened the situation for Jim unknowingly. By the time Jim arrived at the stars observatory room, it was still dark. But it didn't last long. One of the housemaids turned on the light, and it blinded him for a second.

After he regained his vision, Jim then realized the housemaids surrounding him on the indoor balcony of the room. The door that connected to the balcony where his surfer was placed was blocked by the maids. There was no escaping for the Hawkins.

Soon, his biggest nightmare stepped into the room.

"Trapped like a little mouse..."

Amelia pulled the sleeves of her sleeping gown, putting herself into fighter mode. Jim only could step back in fear, knowing this was not a fight he could win, nor would even want to attempt to win. Amelia's husband noticed the very possible brawl that was about to happen inside his observatory room, so he halted his wife right away.

"Shouldn't we just call the police, honey?"

"Delbert, I haven't had a brawl in such a long time, I need to remind myself again. Don't want these muscles to rust," she pulled her shoulder back, cracking her fingers along the way. "Keep the children away for me, would ya?"

Amelia gave her husband a glance, and from that glance, Delbert learnt the amount of determination inside her right now. Too much. There was no stopping for the angered feline.

"Chin up! Fight me like a man!"

She raised her arms, very much ready for a fistfight. Seeing no other option, Jim raised his as well.

Right in front of his eyes, Delbert witnessed the room changing into a brawl ring.

* * *

"Which way, Ben?!"

"This..." the robot took a grip on the lever, and made the boat tilt to the right. "Way!"

The residents of Benbow Inn were enduring against the cold wind of the night as strong as possible while flying just a few meters above the buildings of Wildelight Town. They were on a search for a missing member of the inn, Jim.

Apparently, once Ariel had seen that Jim had gone to a certain direction, she immediately reported what she witnessed to Sarah. Considering that her son had gone on a solar surfer, the best way to pick up his literal trail was to track down the solar molecules his surfer's engine had left during the flight. And only Ben was capable of doing something like that.

And now, here they were, Amelia, Ariel, Paige, Ben, and Morph, once again on the search for the lost boy.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the direction to Delbert's mansion?" Sarah asked the others. But then she realized none of them had gone to Delbert's mansion previously.

"Never mind."

"Would that be Delbert's mansion?" Ariel pointed a finger to the front direction, where the mansion was closing by the second.

"Ben, does the trail end there? By the mansion?" Sarah asked the navigator robot.

"Yes, apparently. We need to slow down."

Sarah slowed down their speed, and reduced their altitude. The moment the boat parked, everyone jumped down right away to follow Sarah. The pack stopped at the entrance, and their leader pressed the bell to announce their arrival.

 _Ding ding_

Seconds had passed, and the sound of cheering was heard from inside. Everyone caught the unusual noise, and looked at each other.

"Did you hear that?" Paige asked, looking at Ariel.

Ariel nodded. "Yeah, almost like a cheering or something."

"Why are the lights on inside?" Ben asked, stepping backwards a few steps to see most of the lights inside were on, judging from the windows of the mansion. With all of these lightings on, it's hard to judge why it had taken over a minute for one housemaid to reach the front door. Sarah grew impatient, and pressed the bell once again. The waiting resumed.

 _"OHH!"_

They froze, unable to comprehend the activity they're doing inside the mansion at this time.

"What the hell are they doing inside there?" Sarah asked, growing even more impatient. Luckily, the handle of the door twisted open before her impatience could grow even more.

There she was, in a form of a mouse, one of the housemaids. "Oh Ms. Hawkins, come in!" She gave a gesture to let everyone in.

"Minnie, what took you so long?" Sarah knew her name, and had memorized basically every name inside the house when Jim left to search for the Treasure Planet.

"I-I'm sorry, there's a fight going on, and I've never been this excited before!"

"A FIGHT?!" Everyone in unison asked.

Minnie simply nodded excitingly. "Yes! Come on!"

With that, they followed Minnie's lead. The little mouse took the squad to the observatory room through stairs and hallways. Sarah could hear the noise of the crowd getting louder and louder as they approached their destination. Once they were in the observatory room, they thought it wasn't the observatory room; it was more like a ring!

Sarah and the others squeezed their way, and stumbled upon Delbert and his children. His children were cheering, while Delbert was full of doubts if the scene in front of him was the best solution for the problem going on.

"Delbert, what's going on?!" Sarah pulled him by the shoulder, which caught him by surprise. But he took a step backward, allowing Sarah and the others to see who were everyone cheering at. Their jaws met the floor quickly. Amelia, and a masked man, brawling in the middle.

"Good morning, Sarah. _That's_ what's going on, Sarah. But what brings you here?" He placed his hands on his hip.

Somehow, Sarah didn't catch the question, and was more intrigued into the fight. "Who is he?"

"A burglar. Broke into the house and stole something, but we got him cornered. Amelia apparently wanted to savor the moment since she hasn't had an equivalent in a long time..." Delbert shrugged. "We don't know who it is yet. Amelia had landed him a few blows, _hard_ blows, but he stood still, remarkably. The man, on the other hand, seems to would not hit a woman. He's mainly been avoiding,"

"What kind of burglar is he?" Paige crossed her arms. "COME ON, FIGHT YOU BIG PUSSY!" She raised an arm, joining the cheering.

Delbert could only roll his eyes away from the girl's barbarism, having no interest in witnessing a brawl, let alone joining one.

 _SMACK_

The man collapsed after receiving a punch on the nose, in which he failed to avoid. With a cocky smile, Amelia lifted an arm with her hand opened. The gesture made one of the housemaids come at her direction, and placed a handkerchief on her master's hand. With the handkerchief, Amelia cleaned her fist from the blood she drew from the punch.

"Worn out, already?"

Jim desperately brought himself on a standing still, and pulled out his last resort, which he never planned to use at all. A laser pistol.

He pointed it at her. "I... never wanted to use this, but you leave me no choice," he tried his best at faking his voice.

"Nor did I want to choose this choice either," Amelia snapped a finger, and within seconds, every single housemaid in the room pulled out their weapon. Every single gun in the room was pointed at him. A twitch of a muscle, and he's done for good.

"For fuck's sake..."

He surrendered. Jim dropped his pistol, kicked it away, raised his arms, and knelt down while looking down. Amelia stepped forward and pulled his mask, only to let out a deep gasp.

 _"HAWKINS?!"_

From where Sarah was standing, she could not see who it was. But, hearing the name, she rushed her way to see who it was.

"Sarah?" Amelia asked, her tone sounding completely calm. But Sarah didn't respond her.

"Jim Hawkins! What are you doing here?!"

When Jim looked up at the familiar voice, he was shocked. "Mom?"

The mother brought him to a standstill, _"explain yourself, young man,"_ she sharply said. The housemaids were sure that her voice echoed in the room, even though it wasn't loudly spoken.

With a sigh, Jim took his bag, and pulled out the pendant he'd taken from Amelia's safe. Sarah covered her mouth with a hand, hiding her gasp.

"I need to know, mom..."

"Jim, no..."

"I NEED. TO KNOW. ABOUT WHO MY DAD IS!"

Compared to the previous echoed voice, this one was on the top. Everyone froze right away. Seeing too much spectators, Amelia clapped her hands on the air.

"Everyone, back to your chambers. This is no longer a public entertainment."

Several 'aww' and 'hmph' were sounded, but Amelia cared none. The housemaids exited the room, leaving the room with only the owners of the mansion and their 'guests'.

By the time they had gained privacy, Ariel stepped forward to see her lover up close. Jim noticed her approach, but put his attention back to his mother.

"Did you hear... everything?" Sarah asked.

"Yes. I just n-need to know who he is, mom! With his absence in my life, what does that make me?!" Jim grew more emotional.

"A good man, that's what makes you—"

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT! PLEASE! Just... let me get to know... who Leland Hawkins was," Jim pleaded. His mother couldn't stand watching her son being hurt like this, so she was left with no other option.

"Okay..." Sarah nodded. "Let me..." she gestured at him to give the pendant. So, he did.

With a firm press, Sarah unlocked the pendant, and a projection materialized in front of her. With her thumb, she swiped through her memories inside the pendant. She stopped at particular one, a video.

There was a younger Sarah, who appeared to be sitting on the beach. Jim carefully looked at her movement. She seemed to be waiting. For something? Someone? It was soon to be answered.

From the water, a figure breached through the surface. A man, an attractive one. When he fully exposed himself, Jim learned what the man really was.

"Who's that merman?!"

Sarah rolled her eyes to meet her son's. "He's your father."

Within an instant, every single fibre in his being stopped working. With eyes as wide as dish plates, he spectated the video projection in front of his eyes. As the video played, she gave him a narration to give him a clearer picture.

"Your father was a merman. We met on the beach, when he was tangled in a net that the fishermen had laid. I helped him out. At that moment, it was like any other cliché love at first sight."

Amelia scoffed at the comment. When the others heard of the narration, they let their curiosity bring them closer to have a good listen of it.

"Leland was a charismatic man. Or merman, I should say. We would visit each other frequently, until one day, he... disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Jim asked, still having his eyes onto the projection.

"He stopped visiting me. And it was nearing my birthday, and his mere presence was the only thing I asked. A week had gone past ever since my birthday, and he came back."

Sarah shut the pendant, not because she didn't want to continue, but simply because something else.

"He came back as a man. So... you know what happens when I saw him initially..." Sarah gave a hint with her finger, and Jim immediately caught the meaning.

"Oh, right. Yeah."

Ariel stepped in between the two, and landed a hand on his shoulder, smiling endearingly.

"So, the way you two met... heavily reminded me of him. It was almost like a flashback," Sarah said, applying a firm but gentle press on Ariel's shoulder.

"How did he turn into a human?" Jim asked.

"He made a deal with Ursula, the witch. Just like I did, Jim," Ariel responded.

Jim turned to her. "You know this, Ari?"

"Yes... Sarah told me everything. But I had to keep it as a secret. I'm sorry," Ariel gave an uneasy grin, that signaled that she asked for forgiveness.

"Huh... don't be. Not your fault. But what kind of deal, anyway?" Jim asked once again.

"Leland never told me what it was. All I know is the fact that he's the first merman to have a deal with Ursula, and fulfilled it," Sarah crossed her arms. "Perhaps, during that time he was gone, he was trying to set the deal."

Having no more questions lying around his head at the moment, Jim shoved his hands into his pockets. He turned around, and walked aimlessly while staring down.

"I'm... speechless."

Sarah put on her pendant around her neck once again. "Take your time."

Jim looked up to the giant window in front of him, where the Montressor Spaceport was visible in the clear night. That reminded him of something.

"Why did he leave us, mom?"

Once again, came the question Sarah never desired to answer. But, as a mother, she came to a realization that it was not healthy to keep her own son uninformed about his own father. She deeply sighed.

"Well... the things I said to you weren't particularly wrong at the very least. But I'll admit, I didn't mention the details," Sarah said.

"Leland... throughout our life when he finally could walk with a pair of feet, slowly became a materialistic person. Yet, I had to thank him for building the inn where we shelter now. He was a mixed bag, but when it comes to the quantity... his materialistic personality shadowed everything, including his love for me."

Before Sarah could continue, a tear made its way down across her cheek.

"After you were born, we were the happiest couple in the world, initially. But, as time passed, he grew bored of raising you. He was more interested in the things that the world may possess, he forgot the only world that means for me, and should've meant the most for him. You."

Sarah grew uncomfortable. To comfort herself, she bit her bottom lip.

"At least, he was my world at some point, but when he began using violence... Jim, you were only a babe so you likely do not remember, but Leland once hurt you. Of course, being a mother, I could not forgive such mindlessness. But being a wife, I... forgave him, after he begged for me with tears and words. However, it was a mistake. Not long after, he became his old self once again, and abused you again. It broke me. It destroyed me!"

Silence accompanied everybody for a brief moment.

"And then he left, days after..."

"I see... But, one more question," Jim raised a finger. "Is it true that he was the mastermind behind the event that happened to me, Captain Amelia, and Professor Delbert?"

Sarah frowned. "You don't need to know that—"

"I want nothing but the truth tonight!" Jim demanded. Seeing his bratty behavior, Sarah turned furious. But Amelia calmed her down before she could explode.

"Sarah, he needs to know."

With a firm press on the chest, Sarah relaxed herself. "... Yes. The captain who captured you was named Harold Victor... apparently working for Leland. Ten years had turned him into a space pirate apparently, second worst occupation in the entire galaxy."

"That's all you get to know," Sarah added. And that was it, that was all Jim got to know. But it was more than enough.

"I think we should go to see him."

Sarah's eyes bulged. "WHAT?!"

"You don't need to go, mom. His men only kidnapped me when they landed a foot in the inn, meaning they had no intention to take you," Jim responded.

"ARE YOU INSANE, JIM?!"

"No, mom! I'm perfectly sane!"

"YOU ARE NOT GOING AWAY TO SEE HIM, EVER! PERIOD."

"Amelia, you should too!" Jim said, completely ignoring his mom. Unsurprisingly, Amelia smiled, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah. Rather than having ourselves kidnapped at a random time in a random place, why not see the man in the flesh?" Amelia said. Jim nodded, agreeing.

"We'll go. I'll prepare for an expedition!" Amelia declared.

Only one word to describe Sarah Hawkins' mind: puzzled.


End file.
